Mach 0.3 milk float grinds to a halt

Bad luck continues to dog Brits Colin Fallows and Mike Newby who have failed again to break the battery-powered land speed record in their ABB e=motion vehicle.

The 32-ft monster refused to play ball in Nevada on Saturday, and the team eventually abandoned their attempt after a series of false starts possibly provoked by a throttle problem. The car's designer, Colin Fallows, said: "It's been one of the most difficult weeks that we've had," a sentiment echoed by driver Mike Newby thus: "To get so close, and yet be so far, is frustrating for us all, for sure."

Newby added: "It's safe, it's fast, and it's a real good piece of kit. It's just that sometimes in motorsport - in any sport - you get circumstances that conspire against you."

In June 2004, a previous bash at the record on Chott-el-Jerid salt flats in Tunisia also ended in frustration. Nonetheless, the team will return with their cantankerous milk float to the UK for a thorough post-mortem, and - according to the BBC at least - will have another go next year.

The current official FIA (Fédération Internationale d'Automobile) electric land speed record stands at 245 mph (394 kph). Fallows and Newby reckon that ABB e=motion should be able to add 55mph to that, thereby becoming the first battery-driven vehicle to break the 300 mph (483 kph) barrier under FIA rules. ®